This week's Traffic Talk deals with turn lanes at intersections and the answers given – right out of the Michigan Vehicle Code and the Michigan Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices – are not cut and dry.

The first question was emailed to Traffic Talk by a reader named Robert, who said he appreciates the left turn lanes that are at many intersections.

Most of these lanes are several hundred feet long, but there are always double yellow lines separating these lanes from the travel lanes until about 50 feet from the intersection. What do they mean? Should we stay off the turn lane until these yellow lines end and then dart over into the other lane? This doesn't make sense to me, but I don't know what else they could mean.

“Therefore, it is technically a violation to cross a solid double yellow line,” he said. “A police officer may exercise discretion in the scenario that is being described, but it would still be a violation. In other words, officers may chose to ignore the violation.”

The next question may be asking the same thing, but it was a bit murkier in its description. Church took a stab at it, and hopefully Jan from Grandville, who sent it in, will be able to find a solution, because, in her words, this is something that has “bugged me for a LONG time!!!!!”

What is the proper time to get into the left turning lane????? I am so peeved when people get into this lane way before the yellow turning lane and then when you wait to get to it, someone always comes flying up beside you on the left side (even when I have my turn signal on). My husband always yells at me to get over and I maintain that I am NOT supposed to get over until the yellow line or the double yellow line.”

Jan said if she finds she is wrong, she will apologize and try to do it right. Well, Jan, you may find your answer above in the response to Robert's question, but in case you're talking about the general left lane of travel, Church cited MCL 257.634(2):

"Upon a roadway having 2 or more lanes for travel in 1 direction, the driver of a vehicle shall drive the vehicle in the extreme right-hand lane available for travel except as otherwise provided in this section. However, the driver of a vehicle may drive the vehicle in any lane lawfully available to traffic moving in the same direction of travel when the lanes are occupied by vehicles moving in substantially continuous lanes of traffic and in any left-hand lane lawfully available to traffic moving in the same direction of travel for a reasonable distance before making a left turn."

“A left-turn lane is a left-hand lane lawfully available for the limited purpose of turning,” Church said. “The answer, as imperfect as it is, is that a person may travel in the left-turn lane for a reasonable distance before making a left turn.”

Church said attorneys can argue for days about what is or isn't "reasonable." And if an officer wrote someone a ticket for driving too far in the turn lane, then it would ultimately be a matter for the magistrate. But that's all the further Church was willing to go.

“I certainly am not going to step in between two spouses in this debate,” he said.

Probably a wise decision.

Do you have questions about rules of the road that you want answers to? You can post them below or send an email to localnews@grpress.com.